Quebec student protest shows no signs of slowing, 500 arrested

Students march in downtown Montreal on May 22, 2012, as tens of thousands defy an emergency law restricting protests to mark the 100th day of student demonstrations over plans to raise tuition.

Credit:

AFP

Police arrested more than 500 striking students Wednesday in Montreal after declaring an overnight march illegal, evidence the four-month long tuition protest is only gaining momentum.

About 3,000 demonstrators marched through the streets with many onlookers coming outside their homes to bang pots and pans or wave red flags from balconies in a show of solidarity.

After someone threw “projectiles” at police, they declared the protest illegal, although they allowed marchers to continue for four hours before “kettling” a large group and arresting them individually, The Montreal Gazette reported.

“We said we would march every night until this is settled, and that is what is happening,” student Nicolas Lahaie told the Gazette.

The unrest – which began just before midnight Wednesday – led to the largest number of arrests yet as the strike stretched past 100 days.

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